Florida State athletic trainer Randy Oravetz’s phone might have been the one that Jeff Bowden called most frequently over the summer. The progress of All-America candidate Craphonso Thorpe’s recovery from a broken leg suffered in the next to last regular season game in 2003 will play a large part in determining how effective the FSU passing game will be. The news has been all good since Thorpe underwent surgery to stabilize the break in early December and coaches are planning on having the deep threat in the lineup this fall.

Thorpe’s world-class speed made him an obvious deep threat, but his emergence as a sure-handed receiver who competes for every ball made him invaluable last year. He already had 51 receptions for 994 yards before breaking the leg in overtime against NC State. With 1,657 career receiving yards, Thorpe’s experience and game-breaking ability became even more essential when junior P.K. Sam entered the NFL draft early in April.

Joining Thorpe at the flanker position will be senior Dominic Robinson who has made clutch catches, but lacks blazing speed. Robinson’s gutsy snag of Chris Rix’s fourth-down pass at Florida preserved the game-winning drive in Gainesville. Sophomore Lorne Sam, who is the younger brother of P.K., got a lot of work in the spring and should see plenty of opportunities to win playing time in the preseason. Chris Davis’ speed is outstanding, but he has yet to shake the injury bug long enough to prove that his potential will pan out.

Chauncey Stovall and Willie Reid will begin preseason camp locked in a battle for starting honors at split end. Stovall, a senior, is big (6-2) and had 19 catches a year ago. He has seen considerable playing time in his two years at FSU and worked on his speed over the summer. Reid, a junior, is more elusive and versatile having played both receiver and running back for the Seminoles. He had 27 catches a year ago and coaches are determined to get him the ball this season. Redshirt freshman Joslin Shaw will be going through his first preseason camp with real playing time on the line, so coaches will want to see how he performs. Newcomer De’Cody Fagg went through spring practice after sitting out of football last fall and brings both size (6-3) and speed to the position.

Nearly all of FSU’s top receivers missed spring drills because of injuries so the passing game will have to come together quickly in August for the Seminoles to be effective. FSU coaches are anxious to have the unit work together because they feel good about the depth of talent. The receiving corps will be exceptionally strong if Thorpe is at full speed to start the preseason.

At Florida State:Terrific open field elusiveness and great speed give him the potential to be a game-breaker at wide receiver…has been hampered by injuries since a knee injury suffered before he even arrived on campus…has shown coaches enough in practice to know that they want to see the ball in his hands during games this season…missed portions of spring drills with an ankle injury…coaches will count on him to establish himself during preseason drills as a reliable receiver…exceptional punter returner who filled that role at times last year.

Freshman Year (2003): Played in all 13 games and was third on the team with 23 receptions…fourth on the team with 264 receiving yards…had at least one reception in 11 of 13 games…finished in the top 10 for scoring and third in receiving TD’s…brought back 12 punts for 111 yards with a long of 38…hauled in a season-best four receptions at North Carolina…recorded a season-high 57 yards receiving against Wake Forest…posted three or more receptions in four games (North Carolina, Maryland, Colorado and Wake Forest)…had two touchdowns on the year, one in the season opener at North Carolina and one against Miami…started the Duke game in the Seminoles’ four wide receiver set.

2002: A redshirt season after suffering a knee injury prior to his arrival at Florida State…tore the ACL in his left knee two weeks prior to reporting to fall camp and spent his first year in rehabilitation.

High School: An All-USA first-team selection by USA Today…earned All-America first-team honors and named the best all-around prep athlete in the nation by Parade Magazine…named to the PrepStar Dream Team…a five-star athlete as named by Rivals 100.com…Rivals.com named him as second best prep athlete in the nation as a high school senior and the No. 6 overall prospect in the nation…named to the Riddell Footwear All-American team…a Super 75 selection by the Florida Times Union…the No. 5 prospect in the state of Florida by the Orlando Sentinel…named to the Super Southern 100 by the Atlanta Journal Constitution…played quarterback, defensive back and wide receiver in high school…totaled 3,110 yards of total offense as a senior quarterback…threw for 1,580 yards, 12 touchdowns and was intercepted only four times during his senior season…also rushed for 1,530 yards and 15 touchdowns …averaged 43 yards on kickoff returns and returned two kickoffs and two punts for touchdowns…credited with 48 tackles and five interceptions as a defensive back…totaled 3,186 yards of total offense as a junior quarterback…passed for 1,599 yards and 14 touchdowns and rushed for 1,587 yards…selected Florida State over Florida, Miami, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame and USC.

At Florida State: One of the key players for FSU’s offense in 2004…coaches know he has the ability to move the offense and he will be counted on as a top target of the passing game…extremely versatile player who has seen time at both wide receiver and tailback during his career…backed up P.K. Sam at split end last season…will begin the fall in a dead heat with Chauncey Stovall for the No. 1 spot at split end…was held out of spring drills after having surgery on his ankle.

Sophomore Year (2003): Began the year at receiver, but moved to tailback after Leon Washington and Lorenzo Booker were injured early in the season… also saw time as a kickoff returner…brought two kicks back for 62 yards at Florida…rushed nine times for a season-high 48 yards in the opener at North Carolina…carried eight times for 30 yards and a touchdown vs. Maryland…ran for 45 yards on four carries against Colorado…recorded a season-high 50 yards receiving on three catches in the UNC game…caught his only TD pass of the season vs. Miami…caught a season-high five passes for 39 yards against Colorado…named the top offensive newcomer as well as the most improved running back during spring practice in 2002.

Freshman Year (2002): Played in 10 of Florida State’s 14 games including the Sugar Bowl…spent the season as a running back and was the Seminoles’ sixth leading rusher with 130 rushing yards…also caught 10 passes for 37 yards and returned one kickoff for 12 yards…ranked 10th on the team with 179 yards of total offense…suffered a shoulder injury against Georgia Tech…did not play against North Carolina, NC State or Florida because of the injury…career-long rush of 28 yards came in Florida State’s victory over Duke…best game of the season came against Virginia as he established career-highs for rushing yards (51), and total offensive yards (86)…also scored his first career touchdown on a five-yard run.

2001: A redshirt season…suffered a fractured fibula in his left leg during the third week of preseason practice and was lost for the season…had impressed the coaching staff as a true freshman and was on his way to earning playing time.

High School: Graduated from Warner Robins High School in 2001 …voted the offensive player of the year in the state of Georgia as a senior …named to the All-Southern team by the Orlando Sentinel…a Border-Wars.com top 100 selection…ran for 5,346 yards and scored 65 touchdowns during his outstanding prep career …rushed for 1,864 yards as a senior and rushed for over 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns his junior season…was also a standout punt returner in high school…selected Florida State over Georgia and Florida.

At Florida State: Enters preseason practice as the second-team flanker behind Craphonso Thorpe…the third-highest number of career receptions among returning receivers…named most dependable wide receiver this past spring…has made a successful transition from cornerback to one of FSU’s top receivers…has also been the Seminoles punt returner during his career.

Junior Year (2003): Played in all 13 games and started the final two…stepped in for an injured Craphonso Thorpe as the starter at flanker in the win at Florida…finished fourth on the team with 285 receiving yards on 16 catches…led all Seminole receivers with a career-high 102 yards on five catches and one touchdown against the Gators…hauled in a 35-yard strike from Chris Rix for FSU’s first score of the game…made the biggest catch of his career in the fourth quarter at UF when Rix hit him for 24 yards on fourth down and 14…Rix’s next pass was the game-winner to P.K. Sam with 0:55 remaining…had just one catch in the three games prior to the career day at Florida…totaled 60 yards on three catches against Duke…second to Leon Washington in punt returns with 125 yards on 12 returns…brought back two punts for 34 yards vs. Georgia Tech and two for 31 yards vs. Wake Forest…helped FSU rank second in the ACC in team punt return average (11.1 yards per return).

Sophomore Year (2002): Played in 12 of Florida State’s 14 games including the Sugar Bowl…became a starter in the Seminoles’ three wide receiver sets over the second half of the season…finished seventh on the team with 143 receiving yards, second in punt return yards with 35 yards on six…eight of his nine catches (including each of the last five) on the season were for first downs…ranked third on the team behind only Craphonso Thorpe (22.2) and Talman Garder (16.4) in yards per catch…caught four passes against Wake Forest and NC State… caught four passes for 51 yards in Florida State’s victory over Wake Forest…four catches for season-high 70 yards against NC State… returned six punts for 35 yards with four of his returns coming in the first three games of the season before he turned his attention to wide receiver.

Freshman Year (2001): Played in nine of Florida State’s 12 games…was one of 12 true freshmen to earn playing time during the season…ranked sixth in the ACC and first among freshmen with a 10.1 yards per punt average on 16 punt returns… finished ninth on the team in all-purpose yards with 162 for an 18.0 yards per game average…became the Seminoles’ punt return specialist in the fourth game of the season against Wake Forest…four punt returns of 15 yards or more with his season-long return of 31 yards coming against NC State…10 of his 16 punt returns led directly to scoring drives for Florida State…totaled nearly 90 percent of the Seminoles’ total punt return yardage (162 of 182).

High School: Graduated from Diamond Bar High School in 2001…All-America first teamer by Reebok/ESPN…named the Most Valuable Player of the national high school all-star game played in December of his senior season…spent part of that game defending Seminole teammate Craphonso Thorpe…considered to be the best cornerback prospect in the nation during his senior season…named to the 11- member defensive All-American team by Rivals100.com…listed as the nation’s eighth best prospect by Rivals100.com…ranked as the nation’s second best prep prospect by SuperPrep…a member of Max Emfinger’s Nifty 150 squad…intercepted 10 passes, credited with 20 pass break-ups and recorded 93 total tackles as a senior…also caught 24 passes for 722 yards (30.1 ypc) and two touchdowns as a senior…intercepted eight passes as a junior and returned one for a touchdown…had three interceptions and returned one for a touchdown…had three interceptions and returned one for a touchdown as he led Diamond Bar to the California Interscholastic Federation Division II championship game as a sophomore…excelled at both the free safety and cornerback positions during his high school career…selected Florida State over Tennessee and Washington.

Personal: Born June 21, 1983…majoring in sociology…Robinson’s mother, Carolyn, is the brother of former San Francisco 49ers All-Pro Dana Hall who played on the 1994 Super Bowl Championship team.

At Florida State: Enters the fall behind seniors Craphonso Thorpe and Dominic Robinson at flanker…brother of former Seminole wide receiver P.K. Sam…caught the only touchdown pass in the Seminoles’ spring game in 2004 as he snagged a Chris Rix pass for a 23-yard touchdown…played quarterback for the Seminoles during the spring of 2003, but moved back to receiver when preseason practice began.

Freshman Year (2003): Saw action at flanker behind Dominic Robinson and Chris Davis…also saw time on special teams, playing in all 13 games as a freshman…finished seventh on the team with 102 yards receiving on four catches…provided to be a big-play threat as he led all receivers in average per catch at 25.5 yards…hauled in a career-long catch of 45 yards in his first game as a Seminole (at UNC)…also had catches against Clemson, Duke and Virginia…spent his redshirt season of 2002 at wide receiver, but practiced at quarterback in the spring of

2003… moved back to receiver at the start of fall practice.

2002: Redshirted along with most of his recruiting class.

High School: Graduated from Buford High School in 2002…ranked the No. 22 football athlete in the nation as a senior by Rivals100.com…earned All-America honors from PrepStar his senior season…also an all-state first-team selection in leading Buford to a 15-0 record …completed 61-of-115 passes for 1,439 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior…his lone interception during the season came on a Hail Mary pass…also ran for 548 yards and four touchdowns on 64 carries for an 8.6 yards per carry average.

Personal: Born December 5, 1984…major is economics…skipped a grade in elementary school.

At Florida State: Redshirt freshman who opens fall practice No. 3 on the depth chart at split end…will push for playing time behind seniors Chauncey Stovall and Willie Reid…has adjusted well at wide receiver after spending most of his high school career as a running back…spent some practice time at tailback early last season when Leon Washington and Lorenzo Booker were both out with injuries, but did not see any game action…an outstanding athlete and elusive runner in the open field. Freshman Year (2003): Redshirted.

High School: A three star player by Rivals.com and one of the top 50 athletes in the nation…played running back and defensive back for Plant City…rushed for 1,396 yards his senior season…a third team All-State selection in class 5A…picked Florida State over Iowa State.

At Florida State: Senior who enters preseason drills with a chance to be the starter at split end…backed up P.K. Sam at the position a year ago and finished spring practice in a neck-and-neck race with Willie Reid for the No. 1 spot at split end…named most outstanding receiver in the spring…very physical receiver who can make the catch in traffic…responded with big catches when his number was called last year.

Junior Year (2003): Finished his first season at FSU third on the team in receiving yards, catching 19 passes for 340 yards with two scores…played in all 13 games…started four games when the Seminoles opened with a three or four receiver set…led all receivers in the Orange Bowl with 79 yards on four catches against Miami…recorded a career-high 131 yards on four catches and scored one touchdown at Clemson…other TD came in the win over Duke as he totaled 28 yards on two receptions…caught at least one pass in nine games…ranked second among FSU receivers with a 17.4 yards per catch average.

2002: Redshirted along with most of the class.

2001: Played at Hinds Community College in Mississippi… ranked as the no. 2 junior college receiver and the No. 11 overall junior college prospect in his second year at Hinds by Street and Smith’s…the No. 1 junior college prospect by SuperPrep Magazine in 2001…ranked seventh on Rivals100.com’s list of top non-high school athletes…ranked as the 15th best junior college prospect by JCFootball.com…placed among the top 50 junior college players in the nation by Max Emfinger…caught 39 passes for 754 yards and eight touchdowns…helped lead Hinds to the junior college state championship…caught 107 passes for 1,735 yards and 16 touchdowns during his two-year junior college career.

2000: Played at Hinds Community College…caught 68 passes for 981 yards and eight touchdowns in leading Hinds to the state junior college championship…team was ranked No. 12 in the national pre-season junior college poll.

High School: Graduated from Vero Beach High School in 2000…scored 64 touchdowns and accounted for more than 4,800 yards of total offense during his prep career…caught three passes for 26 yards in the Georgia/Florida high school all-star game.

At Florida State: An All-America and Biletnikoff Award candidate as senior in 2004…the Seminoles’ big-play receiver a year ago as he led the team with 994 yards and 11 touchdowns on 51 catches despite missing the final two games…listed as the starter at flanker entering fall practice …enters his senior season as the team’s leading receiver for the third consecutive season…currently 15th all-time in career receiving yards and tied for 14th all-time with 16 career TD’s…will be counted on to lead a young receiving corps…Thorpe’s 83 career receptions are 46% of the total career receptions for the entire group of wide receivers entering the 2004 campaign…has 2,515 yards of total offense in his 36-game career, which averages almost 70 yards per game…returned 39 career kickoffs for 845 yards and a 21.7 yards per return average…regarded as one of the country’s fastest wide receivers, Thorpe won the 100 and 200 at the ACC Outdoor Track Championships in the spring of 2003 to lead FSU to the men’s title and was named ACC Outdoor Track Performer of the Year…was held out of spring drills after breaking his leg in overtime against NC State last November.

Junior Year (2003): A first team All-ACC selection and a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist…started the first 11 games of the season at flanker before breaking his leg in overtime against NC State…missed the Florida game and Orange Bowl rematch with Miami…finished 19th in the nation in receiving yards per game…his receiving yardage total of 994 yards ranks 11th all-time at FSU while his 11 touchdowns tied for the sixth-highest in school history…set new career-highs for receptions, touchdowns and yards and topped his career totals in each category in just one season as a starter…seven of the 11 touchdown grabs were on plays of at least 25 yards…led the conference with 11 receiving TD’s and was third in the ACC with an average of 90.4 receiving yards per game…had a pair of 200-yard receiving games…top returning receiver in the ACC for career yards per catch (20.0)…only Xavier Beitia scored more points in 2003 than Thorpe…caught eight passes for 205 yards and scored two touchdowns against Colorado…hauled in seven passes for a career-high 217 yards and two TD’s at Notre Dame (the most receiving yards ever recorded against the Fighting Irish)…went over the century mark at Virginia with three receptions for 104 yards…caught six passes for 66 yards and scored two touchdowns against Wake Forest…had five receptions for 76 yards and two touchdowns in the win over NC State…returned two kickoffs for 62 yards, including a 43-yarder vs. Georgia Tech.

Sophomore Year (2002): Played in all 14 of Florida State’s games including the Sugar Bowl against Georgia…led the Seminoles in yards per catch with a career-high 22.2 yard average …ranked third on the team with four touchdown catches, fourth on the team with 377 receiving yards, tied four fourth with 17 receptions and fourth with 26.9 receiving yards per game average…had the offense’s longest play of the season when he hauled in a 72-yard pass against Georgia Tech…finished the Georgia Tech game with two catches for a single-game 75 yards…also reached the 70-yard receiving mark with three catches for 70 yards and a touchdown in Florida State’s victory over Duke and with three catches for 74 yards against North Carolina…multiple catches in five of 13 games and at least one reception in nine of 13 games…his touchdown grab against Georgia was a 40-yard strike from Anquan Boldin…ranked third on the team in kickoff returns with 11 returns for 222 yards and a 20.2 yards per return average…ranked among the team’s top three in kickoff returns in 2002 after leading the team as a freshman.

Freshman Year (2001): Played in all 12 games including the Gator Bowl victory over Virginia Tech…led the team with 561 kickoff return yards, finished second on the team with 852 all-purpose yards, was fourth on the team with 286 receiving yards and fifth on the team with 15 receptions…ranked seventh in the ACC with a 21.2 yards per kickoff average…caught passes in eight of 11 regular season games and had at least one catch in each of the last five games…established his season-high for receptions in a game with five in his first career game against Duke…his five receptions went for his season-high of 68 yards…gained his first career touchdown reception on his second career catch on a 33-yard pass from Chris Rix…had seventh in the ACC and led the team with a 21.6 yard average on 26 kickoff returns…fell just three returns short of the school record for kickoff returns in a single season…fell only 23 yards short of breaking the school-record of 583 kickoff return yards…ranked second on the team in all-purpose yards with a 77.5 yards per game average …career-high 155 all-purpose yards came at North Carolina with 38 yards receiving and 117 yards on kickoff returns…his longest kickoff return of 41 yards came against Clemson and was the longest kickoff return of the season for the Seminoles…more than 100 yards of all-purpose yards against North Carolina, Maryland, Clemson and NC State.

High School: Graduated from Tallahassee’s Lincoln High School in 2001…a USA Today Second Team All-USA second-team selection his senior season…named to the Super Southern team by the Atlanta Journal Constitution and the All-Southern Team by the Orlando Sentinel …named to Max Emfinger’s national Nifty 150 list and Rivals.com’s Top 100 list…one of the nation’s top receivers and the state of Florida’s top cornerbacks…caught 64 passes for 1,025 yards and eight touchdowns and returned two kickoffs and two punts for touchdowns his senior season…recorded 24 tackles, three interceptions, 14 pass break-ups and recovered two fumbles at the cornerback position…helped lead Lincoln to the Class 6A state championship his senior season…selected Florida State over Florida, Tennessee, Miami, Georgia Tech and Alabama.